Panaji: Loud beach parties, unlicensed masseurs trailing tourists on the sand, and touts hawking cruise tickets could soon cost offenders as much as Rs 1 lakh. Tourism director Kedar Naik issued a notification on Friday listing 19 activities as punishable “nuisances” at the state’s tourist places, giving police and tourism officials sharper legal teeth to act against such violations ahead of the coming season.Among the activities now explicitly banned are unauthorised beach parties, events or commercial activities at public tourist spots, offering massages or associating with “masseurs, vagabonds, hawkers” who hurt Goa’s tourism image. Cooking or littering outside designated areas and in public spaces has also been designated as a nuisance. Unauthorised river cruises, water sports, or ticketing counters from unpermitted locations will also face a crackdown, said Naik.“Consuming liquor in any space where consumption of liquor is not permitted, neither is breaking of glass bottles,” said the order.Blocking emergency, lifeguard, or beach cleaning vehicles, driving vehicles on beaches, and dumping waste or sewage on govt beach land have also been covered in the tourism department’s directive.Violators face a fine starting at Rs 5,000, rising to Rs 1 lakh, and are additionally liable to prosecution under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which refers to disobeying a public servant’s order.The tourism department has also said that discharging any waste, chemicals, sewage, oil, or other pollutants onto the beaches or nearby also amounts to a violation and will lead to fines.In practice, the order gives the tourism department and police at Goa’s beaches, jetties and other notified tourist places a standing legal basis to act on the spot against unlicensed hawkers, unauthorised deck-bed and shack encroachments, and informal beach-party organisers, rather than relying on case-by-case complaints with jurisdictional police officers directed under Section 13 of the Act to actively assist in enforcement.
